Rail splice and brace.



R. L. ABERNATHY.

RAIL $1 1101: AND BEACH. APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 190s. ggg gg 1 DPatented May 18, 1909.

A I fl 7 81413011 7 ,1 05005 2. war/7 10 in rail splices ROS 00E L.ABERNATHY, OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.

RAIL SPLICE AND BBACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18,1909.

Application filed April 4, 1908. Serial No. 425,237.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Roscoe L. Annu- KATHY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at East St. Louis, in the county of St.

5 Clair and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Rail Splices and Braces, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement and braces designed particularlyfor connectin and bracing the meeting ends of railroad rails.

The main object of the present invention is the provisionof a railbraceand splice in 1 5 which an auxiliary railis utilized as a brace andsplice member, a chair platebeing connected to'the auxiliary rail tounderlie the base flanges of the track rails.

The invention will .be described in the following specification,r'eference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a transverse sectional View through a splice and braceconnection constructed in accordance with my improvement. Fig. '2 is aplan of the same partly in section.

Referring particularly to the accoin 'miiying drawings, my improved railsplice and brace comprises a base plate or chair 1, preferably a flatplate of suflicient length to underlie the ineetin ends of the railroadrails 2 and extending some distance in each direction beyond thejuncture of said rails. lhe chair plate is also ofinaterially greaterwidth than the base flanges 3 of the main rails, as clearly shown inFig. 1. In conjunction with the chair plate l. utilize what I term abrace rail in the particulars hereinafter noted .is of the samesectional configuration as the maiiirail. The brace rail differs fromthe main rail in having its tread portion 5 of sonicuhat less heightthan the tread portion or ,ball of the inain rail and in dispensingni-tlroneof the lateral extensions of the baselhinge, having but asingle extension or base flange *6 arranged wholly at one side of theweb 7 ol' the brace-rail, the'opposing side of the web in aliiienientwith t ic flange extension 6 being formed with a comparatively narrowextensionS, which,togethcr with the base flange in alineincnt with. theweb 7, is under nut to provide a recess 9, all as clearly shown inFig. 1. The undercut portion J of the brace rail extends throughout thelength of said rail, and

ture of the rail ends to be 4 which rail except flanges, the bolts 13,

' is designed to receive and fit one 3 base flange 3 of the main rail.

medium of rivets 10 countersunk in the under surface of the chair plateto avoid. projection, the brace rail being arranged to dis pose the freeedge of its flange 6 in alinenient with one edge of the chair late.

In use the brace and sp ice connection of this improvement is applied tothe main railsl so as to dispose the brace rail and chair plate lequally extended beyond the meeting uncbraced. in this position thechair plate will underlie the meeting ends of said rails and the baseflange extensions on one side of said rails will.

be engaged in the undercut recess 9 of the -brace rail. T he relativelyinner edge of the tread ortion 5 of the brace rail will snugly abut t eproximate surfaces of the tread portions 2 of the main rails, therebyeffectively bracing" the rails at the tread portions.

In conjunction with the joint described I use an ordinary iishplate 11to be secured to the relatively outer side of the tread portion of themain rails, in the usual manner. The fish plate 11 and rails are securedin place by bolts 13 extending through said plates and main and bracerails, and between the web portions of said rails and corresponding innumber to the number of boltsused l rovidc blocks 14, preferably ofsteel or the fike, which are of a sectionai contour to snugly lit'thespace between the brace and main rails, bearing thereby against the webportions of the brace and main rails beneath the respective treadportions and on the base or course, passing through the block or filler14. The bolts 1?, are preferably secured by the nuts 1.5 which afterbeing properly seated are held against movement by ordinary cotter pins16 pass ing through the bolts. The chair plate 1 is designed to restupon s secured by ordinaryrail spikes 18 engaging said plate and theties, the relatively inner edge of the plate being referably extendedbeyond the proximate or go of the base flange. of the main rails andformed with apertures 19 toreceive the particular spikes at this oint.

The construction described provides a rail brace and connection which isparticularly effective in that it braces every portion of edge of the IV The brace l rail is secured to the chair plate 1 through the l baseflanges and 'aeod ties l7, and be the rail, and is further ofessentially economic construction in that any worn rails Will beeffective in service as the brace rails, the sole requirement being theelimination of one brace flange extension and a slight redilation in theheight of the tread or ball of such rail to avoid interfering with thepassage of wheels which may be worn or grooved by use.

The construction described provides a support for the base flanges ofthe rails and also a lateral brace to prevent independent movement ofthe ball portions of the rails, whereby the meeting ends of the railsare in el'fect as rigid as any other ortion of the track.

Having thus (lescri ed the invention What is claimed as new, is:-

llncombination with the end portions of adjacent railway rails of usualconstruction comprising base. and treadportions and an intermediate web,a base plate underlying the rail ends and projecting upon opposite sidesto engage and rest upon ties, and havin o enin s near one ed e a bracerail of D D 7 less height than the main rails and comprismg a web, atread and an outer base flange inner lower portion of the brace railhaving a longitudinal recess to receive the outer edge of the baseportions of the main rails,

and having a lateral extension to overhang said. main rail baseportions, filling pieces between the brace and main rails, a'fish platearranged upon the opposite side of the main rails, bolts connecting thebrace and main rails, the filling pieces and the fish plate, and spikesfor securing the parts to the ties, one set of spikes passin through theopenings of the base plate and operating by a Wed e action upon theadjacent base flange of tie main rails to force the opposite base flangeinto the said longitudinal recess and beneath the overhanging extensionof the brace rail.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

Roscoe L. ABERNATHY.

